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Ramil Safarov

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Ramil Safarov
Born
Ramil Sahib oğlu Səfərov

(1977-08-25) August 25, 1977 (age 47)
Jabrayil, Azerbaijani SSR, Soviet Union
OccupationMajor in Azerbaijani Army
Criminal statusExtradited to Azerbaijan, pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev
Criminal chargeSoldier
PenaltyLife imprisonment

Ramil Sahib oglu Safarov (Template:Lang-az; born August 25, 1977) is an Azerbaijani army soldier, convicted of killing an Armenian army lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan while participating in a NATO-sponsored course of studies in Budapest, Hungary in 2004 as a lieutenant of the Azerbaijani army.

In 2006, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary with a minimum incarceration period of 30 years. Following Safarov's request, pursuant to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, on August 31, 2012, he was extradited[1] to Azerbaijan where he was greeted as a hero,[2][3][4] pardoned by Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev despite assurances made to Hungary,[5] promoted to the rank of major and given an apartment and over eight years in back pay.[6] According to Azerbaijani authorities, Safarov was pardoned in compliance with Article 12 of the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.[7][8] He was met by a crowd of supporters, draped in the Azerbaijani flag and presented with a bouquet of roses upon arrival.[9]

Early life

Ramil Safarov was born on August 25, 1977 in the town of Jabrayil, Azerbaijan where he finished middle school. He is one of four brothers. Jabrayil was occupied by Armenian forces on August 26, 1993, and remains under occupation as part of the unresolved Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Safarov's family fled to Baku in 1991. During a court hearing, Safarov recounted memories from the years of war, during which he had lost family members.[10] This, however, contradicted another version he told the court, where he stated that he was studying in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku and in Turkey from 1992 to 1996.[10] He continued his studies at Maltepe Military High School in İzmir then he continued Turkish Military Academy, graduating in 2000, after which he returned to Azerbaijan.[11]

Budapest murder and trial

In January 2004, Hungary played host to NATO's Partnership for Peace program, where military personnel from different countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, were invited to participate in English language courses. Gurgen Margaryan, Hayk Makuchyan and Safarov were each participants in this program. Margaryan was a 26-year-old engineer and a lieutenant in the Armenian Army.

At 7:00 pm on February 18, Safarov bought an axe with him to Tesco at Népstadion[12]. On the night of February 19, 2004, Safarov took the axe and went to Margaryan's room, which he was sharing with his Hungarian roommate, Balázs Kuti. He then proceeded to hack Margaryan with the axe, while he was sleeping. The noises woke up Kuti, who cried for him to stop. According to Kuti, Safarov appeared "happy, as if he finished an important work. I was shocked, I ran out to call anybody, Ramil went away."

Afterward, Safarov headed for the room of Makuchyan, the other Armenian program participant, with the intention of also attacking him when in the corridor he met an Uzbek officer and tried to convince him to join him in the killing. The Uzbek officer tried to calm Safarov down but was unable to do so. Safarov arrived at Makuchyan’s room but found the door locked. He shouted out Makuchyan’s name. The half sleeping Makuchyan wanted to open the door, but his Lithuanian roommate stopped him and called his compatriot next door to check what was going on. Safarov kept running through the rooms trying to get Makuchyan when the police arrived.[13] Kuti, Margaryan's Hungarian roommate, had run out of his room and summoned the police, who promptly arrived at the scene and arrested Safarov.

During his initial interrogation Safarov confessed to killing Margaryan.[14] He told the police he was vengeful against the entire Armenian nation.[13] When the case went to trial Safarov's defense asserted that the murder was committed because Margaryan had insulted the Azerbaijani flag. Controversially, no witnesses were ever called to corroborate this account.[10] According to Kuti, Margaryan and Safarov, and the officers in general, had never had any overt conflict with one another.[13]

Questioned about his motives to murder Margaryan during his initial interrogation (taken from an imperfect English translation), Safarov stated:

In addition I feel sorry that I haven’t killed any Armenian. My army sent me to this training and being here I have to face the fact that two Armenian were learning with me and I have to say that because of personal effectiveness the feeling of animosity grow up in me. In the beginning we were greeting each other, rather to say they said hi to me, but I didn’t accept it and curiosity in the whole thing was that when they walked close to me they were mumbled something in Armenian and laughed at me. That was the time when I decided that I will kill these two persons, the Armenians, I will cut their head off.[12]

I’m being a soldier since 14 years now, but I cannot give an answer whether I would kill if I would be a civil person. I didn’t wondering [sic] on the question whether I would kill Armenians if I would be a civil [sic]. My job is to kill all, because until they live we will suffer.[12]

Asked by his interrogator as to why he threw the cigarette he lit after the murder onto the victim's body, Safarov responded, "Since I hate [Armenians] so much and I was prepared for the revenge for so long it was a relieve [sic] for me. As long as I didn’t care about him it didn’t mean whether I threw the cigarette onto the ground, or on his bed or into his eyes."[12]

A post mortem concluded that Safarov had delivered sixteen blows to Margaryan's face, nearly severing his head from his body.[10] Earlier, a briefing given by the Hungarian police added that Margaryan had also been stabbed several times in the chest.

On April 13, 2006, a Hungarian court sentenced Safarov to life imprisonment without possibility of a pardon until 2036.[10] The judge, Andras Vaskuti, cited the premeditated nature and brutality of the crime and the fact that Safarov showed no remorse for his deeds as the reasons for the sentence.[10] A lawyer representing the victim's family welcomed the sentence as a "good decision for the Hungarian court and for [Armenian] society."[15] On February 22, 2007, a Hungarian court upheld the ruling following an appeal filed by Safarov's lawyer.[16]

While serving his sentence, Safarov translated several novels by Hungarian authors into Azeri.[17]

Reaction in Azerbaijan

The banned radical Azerbaijan National Democrat Party awarded Safarov with the title of "Man of the Year 2005" for killing an Armenian. The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs condemned Azerbaijan's reaction to the brutal murder of the Armenian officer in a hearing:

The Azerbaijani government has also consistently failed to condemn Safarov, an Azeri military officer who in 2003 [sic] brutally murdered an Armenian participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military training exercise in Budapest, Hungary. Instead, it has encouraged domestic media and various organizations to treat the murderer as a celebrity. That individual has since been awarded the title of ‘‘Man of the Year’’ by Azerbaijan’s National-Democratic Party.[18]

Extradition and pardon

After serving eight years of the life sentence, Safarov was extradited under the framework guidelines of the 1983 Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and transferred to Azerbaijan on August 31, 2012.[19] Although the Hungarian government stated that it had received assurances from the Azerbaijan government that the remainder of the sentence would be enforced, President Ilham Aliyev issued a pardon immediately upon Safarov's arrival in Baku and ordered that he be "freed from the term of his punishment."[20][21]

After arriving in Baku, Safarov stated: "This is the restoration of justice. It was a little surprise for me."[22] He then visited Martyrs' Lane to lay flowers at the tomb of Azerbaijan's former president Heydar Aliyev. He also laid flowers at the Eternal Flame monument and visited a monument to Turkish soldiers.[23]

Reactions

Armenia

External videos
video icon Protesters burn the Hungarian flag in Yerevan on YouTube
File:Ramil safarov's picture on a bus window in Yerevan, Armenian.jpg
Poster on a bus in Yerevan disgracing Safarov.

President Serzh Sargsyan announced Armenia's suspension of diplomatic relations and all official communications with Hungary on the day of Safarov's release.[24] "This is not a simple murder. It is murder on ethnic grounds," he said.[25]

He suggested the possibility that Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán had entered into a secret agreement during the latter's visit to Baku on June 30, 2012.[24] Media sources have also speculated that Hungary's deepening economic ties with Azerbaijan may have had something to do with Safarov's release.[21] Sargsyan concluded his statements by saying, "with their joint actions, Azerbaijan and Hungary opened the door to the recurrence of such crimes."[26]

Demonstrations took place in front of the Hungarian consulate in Yerevan, during which the building was pelted with tomatoes. Demonstrators also burned a Hungarian flag. A photo of Safarov was also burned by the activists.[27] National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan postponed his visit to Hungary planned for late September.[28][29]

Hayk Makuchyan, whom Safarov unsuccessfuly planned to kill on the same night as Margaryan, stated that he will petition to all judicial instances and possibly The Hague, since the murder was committed on ethnic grounds, adding: "I had no doubt that Ramil Safarov would not have served his sentence in the case of an extradition. But the Azerbaijani leadership’s cynicism surpassed everything."[30]

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev promoted Safarov to the rank of major and the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan provided him with an apartment.[31] On September 1, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said that the return of Safarov to Azerbaijan is a matter of relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary, which was resolved in the "framework of the law and is not contrary to norms and principles of the international law." He described Sargsyan's statements as "hysterical" and accused him of being one of the leaders of the group that committed the "Khojaly genocide".[32]

Novruz Mammadov, the head of the presidential foreign relations department, claimed that secret talks had been going on for a year between Azerbaijan and Hungary, and that agreement had been reached on the visit of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.[33]

Hungary

On September 2 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary announced the country "refuses to accept and condemns the action of Azerbaijan, which contradicts the relevant rules of international law and sharply contrasts the undertaking of the Azerbaijani side in this matter, confirmed by the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan in his letter." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the action of Azerbaijan in a diplomatic note.[34] The press release also states that "Hungary regards the decision of Azerbaijan inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation based on mutual trust that has been achieved during the past years between our respective countries."[35]

The opposition parties strongly criticized Viktor Orbán and his cabinet for the move.[36] Representatives of MSZP, the largest opposition party, called for various subcommittees of the parliament to examine who exactly made the decision and why the procedure was kept secret. MSZP had been in power until 2010, and had refused to release Safarov.[37]

United States

Both the United States National Security Council and the State Department expressed concern over the matter and reported that Azerbaijan had been asked to explain its decision.[38][39]

The Azeri foreign ministry responded, "the fact that the U.S. government interferes in the relations of two independent states – Azerbaijan and Hungary – is puzzling," and suggested that the US response was connected to the elections in U.S.[40]

Russia

On September 3 the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the "Russia perceived the reports of pardon of Azerbaijani soldier Ramil Safarov with deep concern and also the preceded decision of the Hungarian authorities to extradite him to Azerbaijan." Ministry spokesmen Lukashevich also said that "We believe that these moves by Azerbaijani and earlier by Hungarian government run against the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group to lessen the tension in the region."[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Armenia Cuts Ties With Hungary in Soldier Dispute". VoA. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Hero's welcome for Azerbaijan axe murderer". Al Jazeera. September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  3. ^ "Armenia cuts ties with Hungary over Azerbaijan killer pardon". BBC. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  4. ^ Template:Ru icon Елена Гамаюн Elena Gamayun) and Петер Шомфаи (Peter Shomfai) (September 3, 2012). "Сколько стоит честь ЕС?". Moskovskij Komsomolets. Retrieved September 3, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Azerbaijani military officer serving life for murder in Hungary is freed when sent home". Washington Post. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ^ "As Armenia Protests Killer's Pardon, Azerbaijan Promotes Him". Radio Free Europe. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Ramil Safarov's pardon 'in line with the Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan'". News.az. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons". Council of Europe. 21.III.1983. Retrieved 3 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Armenia breaks ties with Hungary over clemency for murderer". Russia Today. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Murder Case Judgement Reverberates Around Caucasus". RS Issue 336 (in Russian). IWPR Institute for War and Peace. 25 April 2006. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "IWPR" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ Gunel Abilova. 'Ramil Said He'd Never Commit Suicide'. Markaz.az. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d Full text of Safarov's first interrogation
  13. ^ a b c "Seven years have passed since Gurgen Margaryan's assassination". panorama.am. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Armenian Officer Axe Murdered By Azeri Colleague in Hungary." Asbarez. February 19, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  15. ^ "Hungary jails Azerbaijani killer". BBC News. April 13, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  16. ^ "Azeri jailed for life in Hungary for killing Armenian." Reuters. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  17. ^ Ramil Safarov Translated Another Work by Hungarian Writer. Day.az. 14 September 2011.
  18. ^ Ideals vs. Reality in Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cases of Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Egypt (PDF). Committee on Foreign Affairs - House of Representatives. 2007. p. 16.
  19. ^ Template:Ru icon "Рамиль Сафаров, зарубивший в Будапеште армянского военного, экстрадирован в Азербайджан". Regnum. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Template:Az iconCavadova, Esmira (August 31, 2012). "Prezident Ramil Səfərovu əfv etdi". Azadlıq Radiosu RFE/RL. Retrieved August 31, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ a b Karimov, Aziz (August 31, 2012). "Azerbaijani military officer serving life for murder in Hungary is freed when sent home". Washington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  22. ^ Template:Az icon"Ramil Səfərovdan ilk açıqlama: 'Bu, ədalətin bərpasıdır'". Azxeber. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Ramil Safarov pays respect to national leader Heydar Aliyev and Azerbaijani heroes". TODAY.AZ. August 31, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Template:Hy icon"Նախագահ Սերժ Սարգսյանը արտակարգ խորհրդակցություն է հրավիրել ՀՀ-ում հավատարմագրված դեսպանների մասնակցությամբ". President of the Republic of Armenia. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  25. ^ [Armenia cuts links with Hungary after axe-killer pardon "Seven years have passed since Gurgen Margaryan's assassination"]. Focus Information Agency. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  26. ^ "Armenia cuts ties with Hungary over Azerbaijan killer pardon". BBC News. August 31, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  27. ^ Armenian activists threw down Hungarian flag. Armenpress. 31 August 2012.
  28. ^ Template:Hy icon"Հովիկ Աբրահամյանը Հունգարիա չի այցելի". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  29. ^ "Armenians hold anti-Hungary rally over Azeri killer pardon". BBC News. September 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  30. ^ "Armenian officer, who miraculously escaped from Azerbaijani serviceman's axe, will fight for his rights". Armenia News. September 1, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  31. ^ Mehdiyev, E. (September 1, 2012). "Azerbaijani Defense Ministry grants apartment to Ramil Safarov". Trend News Agency. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  32. ^ Aliyev, M. (September 1, 2012). "Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry: Safarov's return not contrary to international law". Trend News Agency. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  33. ^ "'Agreement during Hungarian Premier's visit decisive in Ramil Safarov's issue'". News.az. September 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  34. ^ "Press release". Website of the Hungarian Government. September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  35. ^ "Press release". Website of the Hungarian Government. September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  36. ^ Template:Hu icon "Navracsics és Martonyi távozását követelik". ATV. September 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  37. ^ Template:Hu icon "MSZP: Titkos paktum Safarov átadásáról?". NOL / MTI. September 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  38. ^ "Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on Azerbaijan's Decision to Pardon Ramil Safarov". The White House Office of the Press Secretary. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  39. ^ "Pardon of Azerbaijani Soldier". U.S. State Department. August 31, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  40. ^ Anakhanum Idayatova. It is puzzling that the U.S. government interferes in the relations between the two independent states - Azerbaijan and Hungary. APA
  41. ^ Template:Ru icon "Заявление официального представителя МИД России А.К.Лукашевича по поводу экстрадиции Венгрией азербайджанского военнослужащего". МИД РФ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. September 3, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

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